Women's Suits

One of the most common outfits worn by women of the 1930s and early 1940s
was the suit, a basic ensemble that paired a matching skirt and jacket
with a blouse. Women's suits were one of the few choices of
business wear for women, along with the skirt and shirtwaist or blouse,
but they were also commonly worn for any type of daytime activity. All
variety of fabrics could be used for women's suits, from wool tweed
for cooler weather to silk or rayon, also known as artificial silk, for
dressier occasions.

Following the general trends in women's dress during this period,
the skirts with women's suits were very simple, without pleats or
elaborate tailoring. They hung straight from the waist to a varying length
from just below the knee to mid-calf. The matching jacket, however, was a
much more versatile garment. In general jackets fit the body closely, and
most had a cinched waist. The small waist was defined by a decorative belt
or by tailoring that drew the jacket in sharply at the waist. Suits that
flared at the hips accented the waist-line. Another prominent feature of
women's suits in the 1930s was wide shoulders. Shoulders were made
to look broad and square with tailoring or padding. Necklines, most often
cut in a deep V-shape, where the neckline plunged to the waist creating a
V shape, to show off the blouse or neck ruff, could have lapels, or flaps
on the front of a coat that fold back against the chest, similar to a
man's suit.

One of the fashion innovations of the 1930s was women's use of the
pants suit, also known as the slacks suit. Like many of the popular
fashions of the 1930s, the pants suit was associated with a Hollywood
starlet. Actress Marlene Dietrich (c. 1901–1992) wore men's
clothes in many of her movies, but she was especially known for wearing
masculine suits in her public appearances. Women's pants suits
generally had flared or bell-bottomed trousers, and the jackets were
tailored in slightly softer versions of men's styles. Pants suits
were considered a little outrageous during the 1930s and 1940s, for people
were still adjusting to the idea of women wearing pants.